USPTO Patents Application 09473176

Application No.

Applicant(s)

Notice of Allowability

09/473,176

FELDMAN, ALAN STUART

Examiner

Art Unit

Sikha Roy

2879

- The MAILING DATE of this communication appears on the cover sheet with the correspondence address-

All claims being allowable, PROSECUTION ON THE MERITS IS (OR REMAINS) CLOSED in this application. If not included
herewith (or previously mailed), a Notice of Allowance (PTOL-85) or other appropriate communication will be mailed in due course. THIS
NOTICE OF ALLOWABILITY IS NOT A GRANT OF PATENT RIGHTS. This application is subject to withdrawal from issue at the initiative
of the Office or upon petition by the applicant. See 37 CFR 1.313 and MPEP 1308.

1 . [3 This communication is responsive to 9/8/04 .

2. The allowed claim(s) is/are 68-77 and 79 .

3. K The drawings filed on 28 December 1999 are accepted by the Examiner.

4. □ Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d) or (f).

a) □ All b) □ Some* c) □ None of the:

1 . □ Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.

2. □ Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No. .

3. □ Copies of the certified copies of the priority documents have been received in this national stage application from the

International Bureau (PCT Rule 1 7.2(a)).
* Certified copies not received: .

Applicant has THREE MONTHS FROM THE "MAILING DATE" of this communication to file a reply complying with the requirements
noted below. Failure to timely comply will result in ABANDONMENT of this application. \
THIS THREE-MONTH PERIOD IS NOT EXTENDABLE. \^

5. □ A SUBSTITUTE OATH OR DECLARATION must be submitted. Note the attached EXAMINER'S AMENDMENT or NOTICE OF

INFORMAL PATENT APPLICATION (PTO-152) which gives reason(s) why the oath or declaration is deficient.

6. □ CORRECTED DRAWINGS ( as "replacement sheets") must be submitted.

(a) □ including changes required by the Notice of Draftsperson's Patent Drawing Review ( PTO-948) attached

1 ) □ hereto or 2) □ to Paper No./Mail Date .

(b) □ including changes required by the attached Examiner's Amendment / Comment or in the Office action of

Paper No./Mail Date .

Identifying indicia such as the application number (see 37 CFR 1.84(c)) should be written on the drawings in the front (not the back) of
each sheet. Replacement sheet(s) should be labeled as such in the header according to 37 CFR 1.121(d).

7. □ DEPOSIT OF and/or INFORMATION about the deposit of BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL must be submitted. Note the

attached Examiner's comment regarding REQUIREMENT FOR THE DEPOSIT OF BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL.

Attach men t(s)

1 . □ Notice of References Cited (PTO-892) 5. □ Notice of Informal Patent Application (PTO-1 52)

2. □ Notice of Draftperson's Patent Drawing Review (PTO-948) 6. □ Interview Summary (PTO-413),

Paper NoVMail Date .

3. _DJnfdrmation Disclosure Statements (PTO-1449 or PTO/SB/08), 7. S Examiner's Amendment/Comment

Paper NoVMail Date

4. □ Examiner's Comment Regarding Requirement for Deposit 8. ^ Examiner's Statement of Reasons for Allowance

of Biological Material 9. □ Other .

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
PTOL-37 (Rev. 1-04)

Notice of Allowability

Part of Paper No./Mail Date 110

Application/Control Number: 09/473,176 Page 2

Art Unit: 2879

DETAILED ACTION

The Amendment, filed on September 8, 2004 has been entered and is
acknowledged by the Examiner.

Cancellation of claim 78 has been entered.

EXAMINER'S AMENDMENT

An examiner's amendment to the record appears below. Should the changes
and/or additions be unacceptable to applicant, an amendment may be filed as provided
by 37 CFR 1 .312. To ensure consideration of such an amendment, it MUST be
submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee.

Authorization for this examiner's amendment was given in a telephone interview
with Mr. Paul Amrozowicz on November 8, 2004.

The application has been amended as follows:
In the Specification

Page 9, paragraph beginning at line 10 has been replaced with following text:
-In other embodiments, more than one electrode may be associated with multiple
parallel channels by forming the serpentine channel to have more than one direction for
the arc to travel. Exemplary embodiments of this type of configuration are shown in
Figures 9-12. Additionally, parallel channels may be combined with another channels in
series, such as the configurations illustrated in Figures 13 and 14. —

Page 9, paragraph beginning at line 15 has been replaced with following text:

Application/Control Number: 09/473,176 Page 3

Art Unit: 2879

-Referring now to Figure 9, lamp 900 according to an exemplary embodiment has
serpentine channels in parallel configuration each channel comprising plurality of
channel segments configured in series with one another. The voltage potential applied
by electrodes 902 and 904 propagates in two directions, such that the diffused channel
is divided into two channels. This configuration reduces the starting voltage of the
lamp relative to conventional systems. By forming the diffuse channel with plurality of
channels in a parallel configuration, two shorter ignition segments are formed without
requiring the addition of any electrodes.--

Page 9, line 22, 'four serpentine segments' has been replaced with -four serpentine
channels-.

Page 9 line 26 'four parallel segments' has been replaced with -four parallel channels-.
Page 10 line 1 'parallel channel segments.' has been replaced with -parallel channels.-
Page 10 line 3 'number of segments' has been replaced with -number of channels-.

Page 10, paragraph beginning at line 5 has been replaced with following text:
-Referring to Figures 13 and 14, an alternative lamp configuration suitably represents a
hybrid of the series and parallel configurations. For example, lamp 1300 of Figure 13
has multiple, such as four electrodes 1302, 1304, 1306, and 1308, which are charged at
appropriate voltages to form potentials across the various segments. For example, two
electrodes 1302, 1306 may be positively charged while two other electrodes 1304,1308
are negatively charged. In this configuration, diffuse channel 1310 comprises two sets

Application/Control Number: 09/473,176 Page 4

Art Unit: 2879

of two conjoined channels in a parallel formation. Similarly, an alternative lamp 1400 of
figure 14 has alternating positive and negative electrodes 1402, 1404, and 1406,
arranged in a diffuse channel 1408 comprising two conjoined sets of two parallel
channels.--

In the Claims

Claim 68 has been replaced with the following text.
—A lamp comprising:

a substrate having a plurality of channels formed therein, each channel having at
least a first end and a second end and configured in parallel with at least one other of
the plurality of channels, each channel comprising a plurality of adjacent channel
segments configured in series with one another, each channel segment having at least
a first end and a second end and configured to emit light in response to an activation
voltage being applied between the first and second ends of the channels and

a plurality of activation electrodes coupled to the channel and adapted to couple
to a lamp activation power supply,

wherein:

(i) each of the channel segments shares an end with another channel segment

(ii) at least one activation electrode is coupled to each end of the channel and

(iii) at least one activation electrode is coupled to each common electrode area.-

Application/Control Number: 09/473,176

Art Unit: 2879

Page 5

Claim 69 has been replaced with the following text:

--The lamp of claim 68, wherein an activation voltage potential of equal magnitude is
applied between each of the channel's first and second ends.--

Claim 79 has been replaced with the following text:

-In a lamp including a substrate having a plurality of channels formed therein,
each channel having at least a first end and a second end and configured in parallel
with at least one other of the plurality of channels, each channel comprising a plurality of
adjacent channel segments configured in series with one another, each channel
segment having at least a first end and a second end and configured to emit light in
response to an activation voltage being applied between the first and second ends of
the channel, a method of starting and operating a lamp comprising the steps of:

applying an activation voltage of a magnitude between the first and second ends
of each of the channel in each of the plurality of parallel-configured channels,

wherein the magnitude of the activation voltage applied between each channel's
first and second end is substantially equal.--

Application/Control Number: 09/473,176

Art Unit: 2879

Page 6

Allowable Subject Matter

Claims 68-77 and 79 are allowed over the prior art of record.

The following is an examiner's statement of reasons for allowance:

Regarding claims 68 and 79, the references of the Prior Art of record fails to
teach or suggest the lamp having the combination of the limitations as set forth in claims
68 and 79, and specifically comprising the limitation of plurality of channels formed in
substrate, each channel having at least a first end and a second end and configured in
parallel with at least one other of the plurality of channels, each channel comprising a
plurality of adjacent channel segments configured in series with one another, each
channel segment having at least a first end and a second end and configured to emit
light in response to an activation voltage being applied between the first and second
ends of the channel,.

Regarding claims 69-77, claims 69-77 are allowable for the reasons given in
claim 68 because of their dependency status from claim 68.

Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later
than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably
accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled "Comments on
Statement of Reasons for Allowance."

Application/Control Number: 09/473,176

Art Unit: 2879

Page 7

Contact Information

Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the
examiner should be directed to Sikha Roy whose telephone number is (571 ) 272-2463.
The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's
supervisor, Nimeshkumar D. Patel can be reached on (571) 272-2457. The fax phone
number for the organization is (703) 308-7382.

Any inquiry of a general nature or relating to the status of this application or
proceeding should be directed to the receptionist whose telephone number is (703) 308-

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0956.

Sikha Roy
Patent Examiner
Art Unit 2879